Flitting Through Pages: The Author's Files
by Lady of Myth and Legends
Summary: This, my dear friends, is a file of scenes and excepts that didn't quite make it into Flitting Through Pages. They are rabbit trails, muse shots, dribbles, or just pieces that I couldn't fit into the story but didn't want to let go. Flitting Through Pages is still in production though, no worries! These snippets are all here for you to love, hate, or whatever you please!
1. Chapter 1

**This particular scene was originally part of Chapter 24 (which was the chapter in which Balin was telling the story of the Battle of ****Azanulbizar) but was cut due to irrelevance. This originally was going to be how the Dwarves discovered about Cate's injured hand, however, it took up far too much time and really seemed out of place. **

**I call this the 'injured hand scene'.**

**I'm going to include the second half of Chapter 24 so this piece flows like it should. The section in italics is from the final version which will lead into the normal text which is the "blooper" if you will.**

**Please note, the first half of this is from Cate's POV but, then it leads into Kili's. I'll have it separated like I do in Flitting Through Pages.  
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><p><em><strong>(Cate's injured hand)<strong>_

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><p><em>She watched as Thorin retreated to the edge of the cliff. He stopped, crossed his arms over his chest and fixed his gaze out into the blackness beyond. She inwardly sighed. Something was bothering him and while she had an idea of what it might be, seeing it was a completely different story. Perhaps whatever it was she thought she knew, was best to be forgotten and to listen to Balin's account of things. Yet, as she continued to watched the dark-haired Dwarf, she couldn't help but feel guilty for her previous actions. Screaming at him had not helped things and clearly, Thorin hadn't needed it. She hadn't any experience with being a king, or a leader at that, so she didn't fully understand the burden that he carried. Yet, she did understand this much: the weight of that leadership was a difficult one. And she had made it worse by openly defying him in front of his men.<em>

_'Damn it, Cate. You always have to make things worse, don't you?'_

_"Now Miss Martin, don't fret so."_

_Cate twisted about to see Balin staring at her with a small smile upon his wrinkled features. She merely offered him a one-armed shrug but managed a quirk of a smile of her own. Still, that did not settle the twisting in her stomach. She felt even more horrible than she had a while ago. A sudden hand gently touched her shoulder and she gave a small jump in surprise. She turned and found Bilbo looking up at her with concern in his eyes._

_"There, there Miss Martin," The hobbit said softly, patting her arm reassuringly. "I'm sure Master Thorin will come 'round. You'll see."_

_Balin's grin widened ever so slightly and nodded in approval. "He'll be fine, lass. Thorin tends to brood every once and awhile. By morning, all will be forgotten or, as must as Thorin can forget."_

_"Wonderful." Cate grumbled deadpanned, picking up a stray stick and poking the coals of the fire. "There's no way he'll forgive me. He hates me."_

_Four bodies suddenly stiffened and Cate, noticing the strange movement, looked up to see all four Dwarves gazing at her with a strange, unreadable expression._

_"He does not hate ye, lass." The tattooed Dwarf finally said in a low voice. He fixed her with another one of his stern looks and Cate felt her heart sink again. "If he hated ye, ye would know it."_

_"Aye," Balin nodded his white head slowly, his face grim. "There is but only one thing in this land that Thorin Oakenshield hates above all else . . "_

_"Well, besides dragons." Sounded Kíli, far too nonchalantly, from the right side of the fire._

_This earned him an elbow to the ribs by Fíli, who glared darkly at his brother in severe disapproval. "Kíli!"_

_The dark-haired Dwarf coughed violently (he had been taking a long draw from his pipe just as his ribs were assaulted) and bent over to force air into his lungs and expel the smoke that had entered his throat. Fíli rolled his eyes in slight irritation and thumped his brother hard upon the back. Cate watched the exchange with a twinge of sadness and she felt her heart give a painful beat. This was a scene that would have been all too familiar back home and her thoughts drifted to Abby. What was she doing right now?_

_'Having an all out panic attack, probably. Either that or she's out there looking for me. How long has it been? Three, four days?'_

_"That hurt, Brother!" Kíli gasped crossly, shooting his brother a less than pleased expression. However, it was rather difficult to be taken seriously when one was gasping like a fish out of water._

_Fíli, on the other hand, just stared at his brother with a rather incredulous expression; he shook his golden head in a sad sort of way and leaned forward to whisper something in Kíli's ear that Cate couldn't hear. Kíli's eyes suddenly bulged and he sat up straight, a look of horror on his face. Cate briefly wondered if that was the same look she always had when her sister chastised her for opening her mouth when she shouldn't have. A tiny, yet barely noticeable smile crossed her face as the two boys began to argue further. Yes, the brothers most certainly resembled her own relationship with her sister._

"That's unfair, Fíli!" Kíli suddenly cried as his brother playfully pinned one of his arms behind his back. Apparently, the argument had just turned physical.

"Then get out of it then!" Fíli countered, a sly grin upon his face.

The dark-haired brother growled in frustration and thrashed hard against his brother's hold. Cate watched in amusement as Kíli managed to jam his own elbow into Fíli's stomach, causing the elder brother to release his hold upon his brother. However, as Kíli scrambled backwards to escape his brother's reach, he tripped over the rock he had been previously sitting on and fell completely over the other side of it. He sat up halfway, nursing the side of his head and grumbling a series of what had to be curses low under his breath. Fíli, who finally managed to recover from his brother's sneak attack, stood up, took one look at his brother's new found position, and doubled over in a fit of full blown laughter.

"Stop laughing and help me up, Brother!" Kíli growled as he struggled to get to his feet.

Unfortunately, there was a larger boulder imbedded deep in the ground next to the smaller rock and Kíli's ankle had slipped in-between the small space that separated them, thus securing him in his current predicament. However, Fíli was too far gone in his laughing fit to be of much help, as he had now collapsed to his knees and struggled with bringing air into his lungs long enough to recover. Balin and Dwalin, Cate noticed, were also chuckling at the sight of the two younger Dwarves yet, made no move to assist either one of them. Laughing a bit herself, Cate rose to her feet and made her way over to the younger of the two.

Approaching him from the side, Cate stood over the dark-haired Dwarf and offered him a wide smile. "Having trouble, Master Dwarf?"

Fíli stopped laughing, as well as the two older Dwarves, and slowly got to his feet. Kíli stared up at her with a nervous expression, as if suddenly uncomfortable. Cate's smile faltered for a moment, not missing the change, but shook it off. She couldn't blame him exactly, she hadn't been very sociable with hardly any of them and when she did interact, it was only to argue with Thorin. Apparently, avoiding the Dwarves only increased the suspicion among them yet, Cate herself still felt severely out of place with them. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she squatted down and carefully took hold of Kíli's booted foot.

"Wait! What're you -?" The raven-haired Dwarf tried to yank his foot out of her grasp, but the rocks restricted so much of his movement that the act proved to be quickly useless.

"Stop moving around, silly." Cate replied with a laugh, readjusting her hold on the dwarf's foot. "You'll tear your foot off yanking it around like that."

Making sure she had a firm hold on his boot, Cate sharply lifted it straight up and out of the confines of the rocks.

"There you go." She said as she maneuvered her way around the rocks, coming up on Kíli's right side. Again, she offered him a friendly smile and extended her (uninjured) hand out for him to take. "Need a hand?"

The dark-haired Dwarf eyed her with suspicion but, nonetheless, reached out and took her own. Grasping his firmly, Cate helped pull him upright with all the strength she could muster. Immediately, this was a mistake, for Cate had forgotten all about the broken knuckle on her right hand. When Kíli's hand wrapped around her own, with all the strength that the average Dwarf possessed, his thumb pressed directly into the shattered bone of her knuckle.

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><p>In an instant, the young Miss' face changed from overly friendly to one of immense pain. She gave a sharp yelp but, instead of dropping his hand, she merely yanked him the rest of the way upright before tearing her hand out of his grasp. The strength in which she did this was far more than Kili expected and he nearly fell forward as a result. Regaining his balance, he turned to her in irritation yet the words he prepared to say immediately died in his throat.<p>

"Miss Martin!"

The young Miss was on her knees, her right hand cradled protectively against her chest. Her whole upper body was hunched over and he could hear her trying to hold back sobs. Kíli's mind drew a sudden blank. Had he hurt her somehow? How? Something brushed past him, nearly sending him sprawling to the ground once more. Bilbo Baggins was suddenly standing by the young Miss' side, his face contorted in severe concern and worry.

The hobbit's eyes quickly glanced her over, apparently looking for the source of her pain. Then, he took notice of the hand that was clutched protectively to her chest. "Her hand."

"W-what?" Kíli stuttered, his tongue feeling far to large for his mouth. He stared wide-eyed at the crumpled woman, noting her pain-filled face.

"Miss Martin," Bilbo sought her face, his tone firm. "Miss Martin, you must let me see."

"I-I'm fine." She gasped, pulling away from him. "R-really."

"You are not!"

Kíli watched, amazed, as the hobbit's expression took an even sterner turn and he reached out to stop her arm from retreating.

"That's quite enough of this foolishness!" Master Baggins scolded, as if speaking to an impudent child. "You _have_ damaged it and quite badly too, it appears. Now, let us see your hand so that we may find a way to heal it."

For a moment, Kíli did not think she would allow the hobbit to do so. Yet, after a pause or two, the young woman slowly uncurled her fist, wincing in pain as she did so, and offered it to Master Baggins. The hobbit carefully took the injured appendage in his hands and slowly looked it over. Kíli, who stood closer than the others, saw that the first knuckle of the right hand sported both a series of abrasions and a fairly nasty, dark bruise. He himself had injured his fingers enough to realize the bone was clearly broken.

"Mister Dwalin!" Fíli called from behind, summoning the burly dwarrow from his place by the fire.

Kíli could only watch, rooted to the spot, as both Dwalin and Balin rushed forth to examine the woman. Had he really broken her hand? Had he forgotten about his natural strength and gripped the fragile bones far too tightly? How had he forgotten that was the same hand she had slammed into a spruce mere hours ago? He had known she had injured it, but he did not know how bad the injury had been. A rough hand upon his shoulder suddenly spun him about, breaking him out of his reverie. Blond hair and deep blue eyes suddenly filled his vision and when he blinked, he realized it was his brother.

"F-Fíli?" He stammered, his voice faltering. "I-I -"

"It's not your fault." The elder brother insisted, giving Kíli's shoulders a firm shake. "You didn't mean to harm her. You didn't know the injury was far worse than it was."

"It's broken, tha's fer sure." Dwalin suddenly announced. "Someone give me some cloth. We have ta bind it so it doesn' cause further damage ta the rest o' the hand."

Kíli suddenly shook off his brother and swiftly unbelted one of the knives from his side. Quickly, he lifted up the hem of his tunic and tore a thick, long stripe from the blue fabric. Looking it over to make sure it would suffice, he hastily passed it to the burly dwarrow who quickly began to bind the injured knuckle. However, the young woman instantly yelped as Dwalin wound the cloth firmly across her hand.

"Hold still, lass!" He rebuked sharply. "I can't help ye if ye don't stop squirming!"

"Sorry!" She choked, clenching her teeth and shutting her eyes.

Kili watched, horror struck, as two tears rolled down her cheek. "Mister Dwalin did . . did I -?"

"Nay, lad." The Dwarf answered grimly, tying the ends of the makeshift bandage tightly. "T'was not your doing. T'was broken hours ago." He turned his gaze to the young Miss and gave her shoulder a small shake. "Oi! Ye should have told us it twas broken from the start. Ye've done more damage ta it just by leaving as is. It'll take longer ta heal now, thanks ta yer stubbornness."

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><p><strong>And that was how the Dwarves were going to discover Cate's hand was in a bad way. Personally, though I like exploring Kili. This scene did not fit at all and would have taken away the impact of Balin's story.<strong>

**I hope you all enjoyed this little 'out-take', I'll be including more as I go. Be sure to leave a review to let me know what you think of them!**


	2. Chapter 2

**This little piece was going to start off Chapter 26. It's the first draft of Cate confronting Thorin about his treatment of Bilbo. This piece is actually short enough that I can have both the 'rough draft' version and the 'final' cut posted together. This will help you give a better Compare and Contrast view without opening another window to view the 'final' version along side the 'rough draft'.**

**Since I could fit both pieces here together all I did was separate them by a line_. _No worries, I've identified what's what at the start of each piece. **

**Both are from Thorin's POV.  
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><p><em><em><strong>(Start of Chapter 26; Thorin is Confronted by Cate; 'rough draft')<br>**__

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><p>Morning came swiftly, much to Thorin's elation. He wanted an early start. With the presence of Orcs in the area, he didn't want to take any chances and the sooner they moved out of the Lone-lands the better. He was equally pleased to see that the rest of the camp shared his sentiments. They flitted to and fro, packing up belongings and saddling ponies. Bombur had even enlisted the hobbit's help in organizing the cooking gear and all the while in the mist of a serious conversation concerning mushrooms. Judging by how keen the large Dwarf appeared to be listening, Mr. Baggins must have possessed a vast amount of knowledge of the subject. It was enough to completely enthrall Bombur in any case.<p>

Thorin glanced about for his nephews and found them not far from the forest's edge, saddling their own ponies, with their heads close together and their voices low. His brows suddenly furrowed. They appeared to be arguing. Judging by Kíli's scowl and Fíli's stern expression whatever the matter was, it was clearly enough to set them at odds. Yet, seeing how neither of them had resorted to the crossing of arms or narrowing their eyes, the argument didn't appear all that severe. Not yet, anyhow.

Thorin heaved a barely audible sigh and ran a hand over his face. Right now he most certainly was feeling well over two hundred.

"You alright?"

Immediately he tore his hand from his face, his muscles tensing. It was Miss Martin.

"Well enough." He answered gruffly, choosing not to look at her. "Though the question of my health is no concern of yours."

Instead of clenching her jaw, or replying with a quick retort as he expected her to, the young woman simply dipped her curly head in respect and said, "Sorry. My apologies if I disturbed you. I'll just go make sure Tolkien's ready to go."

She made to leave but paused and suddenly tilted her head back, eying the sky warily. "I hope the rain's finished. I think everyone would feel a lot better traveling in some sun for a change."

"Aye," He replied simply, turning to look out over the cliff's edge. The sky was thankfully clear, yet seeing as today was their third day of travel, Thorin kept the likelihood of further misfortune in mind. Weather was not so easily predictable. He smirked, shifting his feet and crossing his arms. "So you admit your interference was unnecessary? Good, I-"

"I didn't say that." Miss Martin interrupted, her blue eyes slightly more steely then before.

Thorin clenched his teeth. By Mahal's beard this woman was infuriating.

"I said I was wrong to call you out in front of the others," She explained, her voice strained and terse. "Not that my argument concerning Bilbo was wrong."

"And what concern is he to you, hm?" He pressed lowly, not wishing to arouse the suspicion of any of the Company. "You have no right. No right to instruct me on how to care for those under my command."

The woman's face suddenly fell and she quickly looked away from him. "You're right. I don't." But then she clenched her jaw and her hands balled into fists. She met his gaze, yet this time it was with quiet resolution. "Bilbo is apart of your Company and whether you know or care, I do respect that. However, that doesn't mean I can just stand by and watch you bully him."

"In what way have I mistreated him?" Thorin growled.

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><p><strong>(Chapter 26; Thorin is Confronted by Cate; 'Final Cut')<br>**

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><p>Morning came swiftly, much to Thorin's elation. Now aware of the presence of Orcs in the area, he did not want to take any chances and, thus, wished for an early start. For the sooner they moved out of the Lone-lands, the better. He was equally pleased to see that the rest of the camp shared his sentiments. They flitted to and fro, packing up belongings and saddling ponies. Bombur had even enlisted the hobbit's help in organizing the cooking gear and, in so doing so; fell into the mist of a serious conversation concerning mushrooms. Judging by how keen the large Dwarf appeared to be listening, Mr. Baggins must have possessed a vast amount of knowledge about the subject. It was enough to completely enthrall Bombur, in any case.<p>

Tearing his gaze away from the pair, the dark-haired dwarrow glanced about for his nephews. Finding them not far from the forest's edge, he was pleased to find them saddling their own ponies and packing away their share of the supplies. However, their heads were far too close together and they spoke in such low tones that Thorin could not discern what it was they were discussing. Thorin's brows furrowed in mild concern. Judging by Kíli's scowl and Fíli's stern expression, it appeared that they were arguing. However, seeing as how neither of them had resorted to crossing their arms or narrowing their eyes, the argument did not seem that severe. Not yet, anyhow.

Thorin heaved a barely audible sigh and ran a hand over his face. At the current moment, he most certainly was feeling well over his two hundred years.

"Are you alright?"

Immediately he tore his hand away, his muscles tensing. It was Miss Martin.

"Well enough." He answered gruffly, choosing not to look at the young woman directly. "Though, the question of my health is no concern of yours."

Instead of clenching her jaw, or replying with a quick retort as he expected her to, Miss Martin simply dipped her curly head in respect.

"Sorry if I disturbed you then. I'll just go make sure Tolkien's ready to go. "She made to leave but paused and tilted her head back, eyeing the sky with a wary expression. "I hope the rain is finished. I think everyone would feel a lot better traveling in some sun for a change."

"Aye," He replied simply, turning to look out over the cliff's edge. The sky was thankfully clear yet, seeing as today was their third day of travel, Thorin kept the likelihood of further misfortune in mind. Weather was not so easily predictable.

"I'll just go then," She jabbed her thumb in the direction of the Company and turned, shoving a hand into the pocket of her strange trousers.

Thorin watched as the young woman made her way back towards the others. He frowned, deeply puzzled as to why she had approached him in the first place.

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><p><strong>So, what did you think of the rough draft compared to the final version? Obviously I wanted them to have a conflict but, I think it's better in the final version because Thorin never understands why Cate approaches him in the first place. That leaves him wondering 'why?'.<br>**

**It sort of leaves a bit of a mystery for him.**

**Plus, as you can tell by the 'rough draft', I didn't get very far into the argument before I discovered it wasn't going to work. I suppose this is more of a concept for an extended scene than it actually being one. I really just stopped as I got started and took out the argument entirely. **

**Still, at least you as my readers have an inside look of what I sort of wanted to happen. That is until the story itself told me off and took over.**


	3. Chapter 3

**This one draws back in format from the first one. This piece is an extension of another.  
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**Towards the end of Chapter 30, I had the thought of Bilbo actually telling the Dwarves and Gandalf what happened between themselves and the Orc. Of course, as I started writing it, it almost instantly began to drag. However, I really wanted this to work but eventually, the story intervened and told me I was doing too much and going into detail when I didn't have to. **

**So, to start off, I have here the last section of chapter 30, which is in Thorin's POV, (and will be shown in _italics)_ and will slowly bleed into Bilbo's POV (shown here in normal text) as he gives an explanation for what happened.**

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><p><em><em><strong>(End of Chapter 30; Bilbo Tells a Tale)<br>**__

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><p><em>An immediate hush fell over the camp, a silence so thick and heavy, Thorin could have cut it with a blade.<em>

_Even Miss Martin's struggles ceased and, once again, the young woman became limp in Óin's hold. Kíli jumped nearly out of his skin and stumbled briefly before regaining his balance. Dwalin simply crossed his arms and eyed Dori, who was looking slightly paler, with a rather angered expression. Bombur, Bifur, and Bofur, who had busied themselves with cleaning the cooking utensils, glanced anxiously at one another, growing exceedingly uncomfortable. Nori, who had been leaning against a tree smoking his pipe, merely scowled at his brother and reached over to clap Ori, who was appearing rather frightful of the whole incident, comfortingly on the shoulder. Fíli, who had gone to resume his watch over the ponies, suddenly broke through the treeline, a knife at the ready. However, a quick glance about told him there was no threat, only a minor disagreement, and he turned and made his way back the way he had come._

_Balin simply said nothing, nor did his facial expression give any hint as to what the elder's thoughts were._

_Out of the corner of his eye, Thorin noticed that Master Baggins had paled far more considerably. He looked simply exhausted, as if he would faint dead away right then. Before Thorin had pulled him away for an explanation of tonight's events, the hobbit had secluded himself and refused to speak to anyone. Merely offering a few words here and there, mostly concerning Miss Martin. For Master Baggins had insisted, quite firmly, that she be looked after first and foremost. A feat that was becoming better said than done._

_Thorin bristled. Though his anger was mostly due to Dori's heedless and compulsive words, it was also aimed at himself. He knew the Dwarf cared very little for Miss Martin and, quite frankly, for the past week, Thorin had felt much the same._

_Until tonight._

_Nori had been right in saying that Miss Martin was frightened of them, for their treatment, especially his own, of her had been nothing less than disgraceful. No one should live in fear. Especially not a woman, no matter who she may be. Miss Martin had deserved their respect, even if they hadn't fully trusted her._

_And that was precisely the matter. Thorin had NOT respected her. He had only instilled fear and terror in the young woman. Whenever he had held a conversation with her, no matter how brief, his tone was accusing and always accompanied with a barb of some sort. Not once had he given any thought to how his treatment affected her, and only now he recalled seeing a hint of shock or hurt in her eyes on several occasions._

_Which was why, seeing Miss Martin pale and unresponsive upon the ground, at the bottom of the hill, had struck such a fear in him. He owed Miss Martin an apology and he had come so close as to not being able to ever offer her one. She could have been killed, for Mahal's sake! And the condition she was in now . . . well, it was not the worst. In fact, if what Oin said was true, then she was extremely fortunate. Bruises could heal well enough and a fractured wrist, while a nuisance, would not be the most grievous._

_However, it was the emotional trauma that worried him. Women, especially human ones, did not generally deal with such an experience very well._

_"None of us have any right," Thorin's deep baritone rumbled with a steady anger that had not been used for some time. "to say such things. Miss Martin has been through quite enough. We need not make it any worse."_

_He met each dwarrow's eye, as if daring them to challenge his words. He vowed to make amends with Miss Martin yet, not tonight. Tonight they would make her as comfortable as they were able, allow her rest, and tend to her physical wounds. Tomorrow, tomorrow would be the start of a much different sort of healing. One Thorin could only hope Miss Martin would allow._

_"Well now, Thorin Oakenshield," said a sudden voice. "I'm certainly glad you've come to your senses. I was afraid that yo-"_

_The voice paused abruptly and Thorin turned about to find Gandalf the Grey, a fresh layer of mud and grass clinging to the hem of his robes, eying the prone form of Miss Martin with resigned horror. For a long moment, the Wizard did nothing and Thorin felt the urge to defend himself, though he reasoned he had no need to do so. Then the Wizard's gray eyes darkened and sought his own, an equally dark expression upon his withered features._

_"Would you care to explain, Thorin Oakenshield," Gandalf began, the Wizard's voice far more dangerous than he had ever heard it. "As to why Mr. Baggins and Miss Martin are in far less perfect condition than I left them in?"_

Bilbo who had, for the most part, succeeded in maintaining a rather low profile, suddenly jumped to his feet. "Gandalf, wait!"

Every eye then shifted to poor Bilbo and quite suddenly, he did not feel as brave. Yet, a quick glance at poor Miss Martin's bruised brow was enough for him to find his courage again. He then drew himself up to his full height and planted his feet firmly.

"The fault belongs to me, Gandalf." He said sternly, his hands fisting at his sides. "I should have encouraged Miss Martin to come back sooner. We were . . . delayed, I'm afraid."

Bilbo shifted uncomfortably when the Wizard raised a questioning brow at him and he swallowed thickly. Thorin also was giving him a strange expression yet, surprisingly, his was not quite as intimidating as Gandalf's. It bordered more along intrigue and incredulous.

"I must admit, Master Baggins," The Dwarf began slowly and Bilbo felt his heart sink at his low tone. "I am rather curious, what did occur out on the plains this night?"

"The plains?" Gandalf inquired, his expression darkening further. A feat Bilbo did not know was possible what with how angry the Wizard already seemed. "And what, Bilbo, were you and Miss Martin doing out on the plains at this hour of night? It is no place for either you or Miss Martin." Gandalf paused, his eyes flickering to Miss Martin, before finding Bilbo once more. "As the two of you have discovered, I'm sure."

Despite the truth in Gandalf's words, Bilbo felt a bubble of anger rise within him and he retorted angrily, "I assure you, Gandalf, neither of us planned or went looking for trouble. If you must know, Miss Martin and I were just making our way back when -"

He trailed off, flashes of memory flickering before his eyes and Bilbo found, to his own horror and embarrassment, that he was in need to sit down on something stable. Gandalf must have noticed his odd behavior because suddenly, the Wizard was beside him, taking his thin shoulder in his great hand and guiding him to the nearest fallen tree.

Out of the corner of his eye, Bilbo watched as Thorin made to follow. Yet, not before sparing a few words to Óin and Glóin, who were still holding Miss Martin. Whatever words he shared with them, it was enough for them to get them moving again.

"Óin and Glóin will be seeing to Miss Martin," Thorin offered to Gandalf as he approached, his expression tight and his eyes stormy. "I've told them to approach if something serious transpires."

"Very good." Gandalf nodded sharply in approval. "Bilbo, it would be a great help to us if you could recall what happened earlier this evening. Miss Martin's injuries don't appear too serious yet, there could be some internal injury that we can't see."

Bilbo swallowed heavily and thought back as far as he could. Gandalf was right, he had to remember everything that he could, even if he rather not. "Miss Martin had been stargazing, I believe."

"Stargazing?" Thorin sounded incredulous and his expression matched his tone.

Gandalf shot him a withering glance. "Continue, Bilbo, if you would."

"I can't say for sure," Said Bilbo. "But yes. I must have startled her because when I asked after her, she slipped in the grass and fell. I thought she had hurt herself, what with her poor hand and all, but she was already brushing herself down when I reached her." He paused to take a breath and tried to ignore the fear that was already rising in his throat.

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><p><strong>And like before, you can see where I sort of drifted off. Again, it was becoming too lengthy and much too time consuming. I liked where it was going but, patience just wasn't with me so I removed it altogether.<strong>


End file.
